NEW YORK - Columbia heavyweight rowing's 2011-12 schedule is set and the Columbia crew will begin at the Head of the Charles Regatta on the Charles River in Boston on October 23.

It is one of two fall races for the Lions, who will also compete at the Princeton Chase on October 30.

Columbia takes its annual spring break trip to Florida in March and will race against Florida Tech on St. Patrick's Day, March 17 in a tuneup before the spring racing season.

Columbia starts the season with two consecutive home races. The first is on Saturday, March 24 against Rutgers for the annual Collins Cup and the second comes against MIT for the annual Alumni Cup on March 31.

The Lions will race for the Collins Cup on Saturday, April 7 against Penn and Princeton and a week later they will host Penn and Yale for the Blackwell Cup on April 14.

On April 21, Columbia will travel to Boston to compete against Boston U. and Syracuse and a week later, the Lions will finish the regular season slate against Navy for the Maxwell Stevenson Cup.

The 2012 Eastern Sprints in Worcester, Mass. take place on Sunday, May 20 and the IRA National Championships will be over a three-day period from May 31 to June 2 in Camden, N.J.